Archive for the ‘Press release’ category

Hot on the trail of their showcase at IAAPA, Russian entertainment outfit Trans-Force has announced a new interactive entertainment platform for kids that combines entertainment and education into one package that is intended for any sort of facility kids my frequent – from FECs and other gaming zones to zoos and aquariums. Called Kid-Force, this interactive theater will work for one child or a group and it can run a variety of different games in a relatively small space (10 square meters). According to the release:

n either event you are free to choose voyages of discovery in Space, Underwater, Pre-history, Battle-mission, Fairy-tales etc. etc. All the participants get involved and become part of the interactive 3D environment. They are able to control the space ship and the route that voyage should take, fire rockets in attack or defence, take pictures of virtual world inhabitants and communicate with them, decide where to go and solve different quizzes.

It might be motion-based like their Trans-Force platform that was shown at IAAPA, but it certainly could be quite an attraction for places that are looking to install something more interactive as part of the experience. More details on this one after the jump, discuss it on the forum or visit the Kids-Force website.

It’s no secret that batman: Dark Knight is an insanely popular and is currently the second highest grossing film of all time, right behind Titanic (which personally I never understood what all the fuss was about) and Stern Pinball is happy to have the only game out right now that has something to do with the new movie (since the video game has had some problems in getting made). They have issued a press release to remind everyone of how popular Batman is and to pick up their new pinball based on the new Batman.

I have had a chance to play this a couple of times and it is a cool game – the color scheme is great, I really like the crane toy but I haven’t seen the Joker toy in action enough to comment on it. In fact because my Indiana Jones pin has been so popular (even more popular than my Movie Stop redemption game) I have been thinking of getting Batman. My only real complaint about the game is the lack of audio or scenes from the new movie, which does have a few things but they are rather brief from what I have seen so far. They obviously have permission to use stuff from the movie but I don’t see why they can’t get more to make the experience feel more complete. The same problem exists with the Crystal Skull ramp on Indiana Jones – it’s pretty lackluster against what happens with the other movies. Game updates are still being released for Batman every week however and it seems to improve a little each time so it probably will just take a little more time to be complete.

You might be wondering why I am bringing this up as the names of these companies don’t sound familiar, but it is arcade related. Some time ago a company called Immersion Corporation signed an agreement with GlobalVR to put their force feedback technology into games like NASCAR and Blazing Angels. From what I have experienced in those games, the technology is pretty good and it’s one thing that helps set Blazing Angels apart in the arcade. Now Immersion has invested into a new company that is working on arcade-related products called NanoTech Entertainment and we will be keeping an eye open on this development to see what will come out of it for arcades. In taking a look at the NanoTech site they have some PC perhipherals that work to emualte arcade controls, including a pinball controller which is new to me. They also have created a digital pinball table called MultiPin (pictured to the right) and according to the press release this investment will lead to “future products that include innovative technologies for the arcade, PC, and console gaming platforms.”

That last part doesn’t sound like a PC add-on but whether or not they will be creating a brand new arcade game is anyone’s guess at the moment but it is good to point it out now and see where it goes from here in case they do. New startups to the arcade industry are always welcome and I hope we will see more soon. Hit the post break for the press release.

Raw Thrills/Play Mechnix’s Beat The Pro Tour continues to bring the latest version of Big Buck Hunter Pro Online to players across the US and this June between the 2nd and the 19th the tournament will be coming to several states in the Midwest. For those that come to the locations where the event is taking place they will have an opportunity to win some great prizes. Locations and more details in the press release after the break.

If you live in or near Bensenville Illinois and you wanted to check out ASI, Betson is giving people a chance to get a taste of what their booth was like at the show with their Post ASI Seminars & Spotlight Show on April 24th. In addition to showing off some of their products they had at the show (including both versions of the new Big Buck Safari, the new online edition of Big Buck Hunter Pro, the converted version of Tokyo Drift, Super Bikes, DDR2 and more) they also will be holding a couple of seminars, one of which will discuss how BBHPro Online works. I plan on getting some more info on the new Coin-Up system by next week.

Betson also released a press release discussing their products and success at ASI, hit the post break to check it out. One interesting point that I didn’t know about was that Play Mechanix recently merged with Raw Thrills’. The two companies have been working closely together for a while now (with the exception of games like Aliens: Extermination and Deal or No Deal) so it looks like it was a natural course of action.

If you live in or near Bensenville Illinois and you wanted to check out ASI, Betson is giving people a chance to get a taste of what their booth was like at the show with their Post ASI Seminars & Spotlight Show on April 24th. In addition to showing off some of their products they had at the show (including both versions of the new Big Buck Safari, the new online edition of Big Buck Hunter Pro, the converted version of Tokyo Drift, Super Bikes, DDR2 and more) they also will be holding a couple of seminars, one of which will discuss how BBHPro Online works. I plan on getting some more info on the new Coin-Up system by next week.

Betson also released a press release discussing their products and success at ASI, hit the post break to check it out. One interesting point that I didn’t know about was that Play Mechanix recently merged with Raw Thrills’. The two companies have been working closely together for a while now (with the exception of games like Aliens: Extermination and Deal or No Deal) so it looks like it was a natural course of action.

Signature Devices, Inc. (Pink Sheets: SDVI – News) is pleased to announce that the Company has finished development on an arcade video game that will include several well known comic book and television superheroes. Signature Devices has developed the game through the Company’s agreement with a major arcade video game publisher. The video game was developed using the company’s recently announced open-source Elemental Engine II.

The game will feature a four-player arcade style co-operative play. Players can play solo or as a team against the plot, which takes place in three separate locations on earth and other planets. Signature Devices has developed the game to allow players to control the powers and abilities of earth’s mightiest heroes in an action packed fight for justice against some of the greatest comic book villains. The Company has developed the game to truly come to life using the co- operative methods best utilized with two to four players at a time.

To me this sounds like it is a scrolling fighter of some kind, but I’ll contain my excitement until we know more details. Still from the sounds of it, I can’t see it being anything else. As for what superheroes we can only guess but I wonder if it will be the Justice League which seems to be popular at the moment. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a scrolling fighter with superheroes (remember X-Men?). The game should look nice too as it uses Signature Device’s Elemental Engine II which was made for PCs and the 360 and it sounds like it has some cool features. We don’t have any pics of this game yet but it might show up at ASI (which I actually might make it to) so if it does, I’ll be sure to get more information.

Either way I am excited to hear about this – if it stays exclusive to arcades for a long time and is fun then this is the sort of thing I’ve been wanting to see from developers. The release doesn’t say who will be publishing the game but I haven’t seen them release anything with anyone other than GlobalVR. Stay tuned as we find out more!